Lilly retires last 20 batters in Dodgers debut

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LOS ANGELES(AP) -- Ted Lilly never forgot the disappointment he
felt as a minor league prospect with the Los Angeles Dodgers
when they traded him away 14 years ago.

He also never forgot the way current Dodgers manager Joe Torre
kept sending him to the mound when he was struggling with the
New York Yankees.

Everything came full circle with Lilly on Tuesday night.

The 34-year-old left-hander outpitched San Diego's Mat Latos
with seven superb innings and the Dodgers snapped a six-game
losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the NL West-leading Padres
on Tuesday night.

"Naturally, I was a little anxious and maybe a little nervous.
But you just have to deal with those feelings and settle down,"
said Lilly, who retired his final 20 batters. "It's been a long
time since I've gone out there and contributed."

The reunion couldn't have worked out better for Lilly and Torre,
who managed him from 2000-02.

"This is a special night for me, no question about it," Lilly
said. "I really enjoyed playing for Joe in New York. He really
gave me my chance when I wasn't pitching well there. He stuck
with me, and that's not usually how it works in New York with
young guys, because you're not going to see too much action when
you're struggling. So I was lucky that he gave me a shot."

Lilly (3-9) allowed two hits, did not walk a batter and struck
out five before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter after 87
pitches. He was obtained on Saturday from the Cubs with
infielder Ryan Theriot in a deal that sent second baseman Blake
DeWitt and two minor leaguers to Chicago.

The only run off Lilly came with one out in the first when
Miguel Tejada hit his eighth homer of the season and first since
joining the Padres last Thursday in a trade with Baltimore.

"Lilly made it look easy. He gave up two hits in the first
inning, and that was it," Torre said. "When you go to a new
club, it's awfully nice to be able to pay dividends right away.
This kid has got a lot of passion inside, but he's really calm
out there. Lilly certainly gave us a lift tonight. We beat one
of the better pitchers in the league."

Los Angeles is the sixth team Lilly has pitched for in his
12-year career, although the Dodgers selected him in the 23rd
round of the 1996 draft. In his four previous career starts at
Dodger Stadium, the two-time All-Star gave up 15 earned runs and
five homers in 14 2-3 innings and was 0-2.

Lilly threw a no-hitter for the Dodgers' Class-A San Bernardino
club in 1997, but didn't get a chance to pitch for the big club
before he was dealt to Montreal at the trading deadline in 1998
in a multiplayer swap with Los Angeles.

"I was young and it was the first time I had ever been traded,
so I was crushed," Lilly said. "From the day that I signed,
every day I thought about pitching for the Dodgers. So when I
realized it wasn't going to happen, It definitely took some time
to get over it. But I've been through that a few more times
since then, and now I understand that you can't control so much
where you are. But the bottom line is that if you're playing in
the big leagues, you're pretty fortunate."

Adrian Gonzalez followed Tejada's homer with a single - the last
Padres hit until the ninth, when Jerry Hairston Jr. led off with
a broken-bat single against Jonathan Broxton.

"The biggest thing was that Lilly didn't leave a lot of pitches
over the plate," Gonzalez said. "He stayed on the corners, and
just continued to pitch out there. So it was tough to square up
a ball."

Broxton pitched a scoreless ninth for his 21st save in 25
attempts. In his previous 11 appearances beginning on June 27,
the All-Star closer had allowed 12 earned runs, 15 hits and
eight walks over 10 2-3 innings, had blown two of his six save
opportunities and was charged with three losses.

"We need to get him back (in the groove), because he certainly
is too important for us not to have him pitching like this,"
Torre said. "This is going to be good for his confidence. It was
a good outing for him against the middle of their lineup."

Latos (11-5) allowed two runs and four hits over six innings and
struck out six on the way to his first loss since June 4, after
going 6-0 in his previous eight starts. The 22-year-old
right-hander, who came in with the second-best opponents batting
average in the majors (.195), is 10-2 with a 1.66 ERA in his
last 15 outings.

Latos issued his only two walks of the game in the second inning
and both scored on a double by Russell Martin.

"Those two walks hurt Mat, but he pitched a great game,"
Gonzalez said. "We should have given him a no-decision. It was
one of those tough-luck losses for him. He didn't deserve to
lose."

Martin tweaked his hip on the play after the tag, but stayed in
the game until Brad Ausmus replaced him behind the plate in the
eighth. Martin is scheduled to have an MRI on Wednesday.

NOTES: LF Manny Ramirez's anticipated minor league rehab
assignment has been delayed at least one more week, as he
recovers from a right calf strain that put him on the DL for the
third time this season. He is in the final season of a two-year,
$45 million contract with Los Angeles. ... The Dodgers recalled
RHP Ramon Troncoso from Triple-A Albuquerque and placed RHP Jeff
Weaver on the 15-day DL because of tendinitis in his left knee.
... Carroll started at SS for the Dodgers in place of All-Star
Rafael Furcal, who strained his back while making a throw in
Monday's 10-5 loss and underwent an MRI on Tuesday. Furcal was
limited to 36 games in 2008 because of a back injury that forced
him to undergo surgery.